The Start of Something
by Chrys-DASL
Summary: Sue Ellen reflects on her past, a time when things were different than she realized. She was young and naive, and looking back, she has an entirely different perspective on how things went down. One-shot. Warnings inside. R&R.


**The Start of Something**

Warnings: Sexual references, adult situations

No one told me what we were doing was wrong. Those hot nights defined my high school years, and I knew they would be moments that I would remember forever. I never thought I'd have to tell them to the world. I never thought the love of my life could become my greatest nightmare.

The words appeared suddenly on her computer screen. Sue Ellen sighed as she studied them, as she registered what they were and what they meant. She had sat down to freewrite, to see where a blank document would take her. When she looked up from the little figurine above her keyboard, the words flashed like a blast of lightning, and the thunder accompanying it was from her pounding heart.

Sue Ellen had kept that part of her past quiet for fifteen years now. She was fourteen when her affair with her math teacher rocked her world. It started when she went to see him after school for tutoring—not the first time or the second time, but after a week of daily visits to help her through a tough geometry concept. He asked her what her favorite band was, then he somehow produced a CD of it and put it on the stereo. They were all alone, and the song the CD landed on was a love song from the band's lead singer to his soul mate.

The song struck Sue Ellen like a dagger, and she found herself crushing over him. She would intentionally struggle with a concept, then she'd stop by, sometimes for two hours after school in order to get everything right. And he always accepted her, standing by her as she worked, and helping her through her silly mistakes. Her grades rose, and so did her lust for him.

So around Christmas when he touched her hand and leaned beside her, she didn't mind what was happening. She didn't mind that explosive kiss when they came back from winter break, and she certainly didn't mind it when he asked her to visit him over the summer. It was in his small cabin by the lake that he took her innocence, and she loved every moment—the sweat pouring from their bodies as they shared tender moments in the middle of the living room floor.

Thinking back, the memories still got her hot under the collar. She did enjoy those days, even the lying to her family and friends as to where she was. These were the moments that defined her sexuality, and she knew it was why at thirty-seven she was married to a fifty-three-year-old. She liked older men, and she wasn't ashamed.

But she didn't know it was illegal. She had no idea that minors and adults weren't supposed to sexually mingle with each other, probably because she didn't see herself as a child or even a teenager. She saw herself as a mature young adult, just like he did. The even discussed it, and both agreed she was old enough, even when she really wasn't.

They got caught when Sue Ellen's monthly stopped. She knew it was important because it had always been so regular before, so she told her mother. An exam confirmed that she was pregnant, and her mother wanted details. No one even knew if Sue Ellen was dating anyone, and she knew she shouldn't say it was her teacher. She had already come to that conclusion when she stopped by his room after school and he begged her not to tell. She knew not to say anything, but people were saying enough.

It wasn't long before enough people came together and realized Sue Ellen spent far more time with the math tutor than she should. By now it was a new school year, yet he was her chosen tutor. People put the pieces together, and a few of them banded together to speak to the school's staff. They brought in Sue Ellen to question her, and on the spot, she couldn't deny their love.

By the end of the day, he was gone. His room had a substitute, confirming the rumors—he was released on the spot and probably wouldn't return. Sue Ellen felt guilty, and she wanted to talk to him, but when she went to his little cabin, he was gone. A FOR RENT sign was in the front window, and Sue Ellen could sense that she wouldn't have another conversation with him.

She didn't expect the trial. She was at home mourning the adoption of her child when the lawyer came over. Sue Ellen was being asked to testify for the prosecution, but she refused, not that she had any choice. It was an official summon, a subpoena, and Sue Ellen had no choice but to show her face in that barbaric courtroom with the old fashioned wood paneling and broken dreams. Sue Ellen was questioned for hours about how long the affair lasted, and while Sue Ellen intended to twist things to his benefit, the lawyers were too good for her young mind to outwit.

He was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison for their relationship, twenty-five years! He would have to go on the sex offender registry if he ever got out, and Sue Ellen was barred from speaking with him, and she later found this was his wish. In her mind, this was because he loved her and wanted to keep her distant so that they could recover from what became a failed romance.

She found out later it was because of his history. Several women came forward after the trial, and while three couldn't file charges because of how long it had been since their affairs occurred, the others joined in. The district attorney agreed to a new trial to include these new charges, and while Sue Ellen didn't have to testify again, these girls said all they needed. One claimed rape, saying he forced himself on her behind her high school. Sue Ellen never believed it, but the jury did. His sentence was extended, and now it was life. With all of the charges added together, he would never get out of prison, and people were happy about it. The community rejoiced. Some of them even threw parties.

But Sue Ellen didn't rejoice. Despite being in a lasting relationship with her older husband, this teacher never escaped her mind. She'd thought of him for years and years, and while he was frequently on her mind, she had no one to discuss it with. Her high school classmates were disgusted by the relationship, so Sue Ellen never brought it up again. After college, she met her husband while working a side waitressing job, and though they dated a full five years before attempting to marry, he never came up, and neither did their child that now lived with a new family in Upstate New York, probably clueless to her origins.

Every aspect bothered Sue Ellen, and she'd kept the details in for a long time. Seeing that short paragraph on the screen made her wonder if she had something. Could she write this memoire? Could she take herself back to those days and really get it out in the end?

Sue Ellen had time on her hands. She'd stopped working to have her third child, her second with her husband. Her baby boy slept next to her while their first child was in preschool. Sue Ellen could write quietly for as long as her baby slept, and since she was considering being a stay-at-home mom, she could do this all the time.

So she put her fingers to the keyboard and kept going.

~End

A/N: So I thought this could be the start of a longer piece. I don't really want to do a first-person memoire from Sue Ellen writing about her sultry affair with her math teacher. I want to play with this topic more, but I think I went about it wrong here. I could adopt out this idea to someone as long as you give me credit for the idea and parent piece. Just let me know if you're interested and you can have it.


End file.
